The new cultivar is the product of chance discovery. The new variety originated as naturally occurring whole plant mutation of the unpatented variety Bougainvillea communis ‘Flame’. The inventor discovered the variety in a commercial planting of the parent variety in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico in December of 2010.
After identifying the interesting flower color mutation, the inventor observed the single plant mutation for several months. First propagation was performed by vegetative cuttings during June 2011, in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico. Access to all plants was restricted, as plants were kept in a facility belonging to the inventor and not open to the public.
Through subsequent propagation by vegetative cuttings, multiple generations have been reproduced, which have shown that the unique features of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type.
The cultivar ‘Vista1’ has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, day length, and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Vista1’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Vista1’ as a new and distinct Bougainvillea cultivar:                 1. Very compact growth habit        2. Color of mature bract is burgundy        